Full review

Introduced during the 2015 season on the European mainland, Knaus’s BoxLife range is making its UK debut for 2016. BoxStar has been Knaus’ only van conversion line for the UK to date, but BoxLifes slot in below this pricewise.

It’s a three-strong line, with all incorporating a drop-down rear double bed with the option of another, rather clever-looking extending drop-down double over the lounge.

UK models will have Truma Combi heating with electric as well as gas operation; padded steering wheel; silver trim for the dashboard vents; reversing sensors; heated waste water tank, cab floor mats and carpet sections in the living quarters.

With this BoxLife, the the base vehicle is the longest Ducato van, at 6.36 metres, while, engine-wise, the start point is the 130bhp unit with six-speed manual gearbox. Here we’re also testing the Comfort-Matic gearbox, which I still find far too reticent.

If the exterior is a little lacklustre, the Knaus’ interior is smart. The upholstery here is Fiat’s own Turin two-tone brown with a hand-stitched effect. The cab seats have twin armrests, but these are not upholstered.

Knaus reverts to a proven continental floorplan, with the permanent bed at the back, the kitchen and washroom in the middle and a lounge to seat up to four up front.

It may not be the first manufacturer to offer a van conversion with a permanent rear bed, but it has come up with something a little different. As standard, the rear bed can be folded away for making the most of the storage. Option one – as tested here – allows the bed to be raised or lowered manually via push-button locks. Or you can have an electrical option.

You can get that bed down to some 86cm from floor level, making it one of the easiest of accesses in this class. You also sleep lengthways for extra width.

Three high-level lockers line each side. Every one has a dual-height shelf that’s removable. There’s also some handy open shelving in each corner.

Overhead, there’s an opening rooflight. Combined with the opening side and back windows there should be more than enough ventilation and daylight.

If you want to sleep two more, another option is a fitting that comes down from over the lounge, at the same time extending out towards the kitchen. It turns the BoxLife into a practical two-plus-two, if not quite a full four-berth.

There’s a swing-out extension to the wall-mounted table, which means both swivelled cab seats can be used comfortably at mealtimes. The rear seating can also be slid apart to offer more elbow and leg room when travelling.

There’s a rooflight over the lounge, and lighting throughout is LED, with a good mix of strips and multi-bulb units. A second switch to operate the ceiling lights from the bedroom and a bit of adjustability for the bedroom lights themselves wouldn’t have gone amiss.

Three each of 12V and 230V outlets should suffice in a camper like this. But a USB socket for the living quarters would have shown Knaus is in tune with the times.

There’s a solid bathroom door – where a tambour might have been more space-efficient – and showering entails pulling a curtain around all four sides of what then becomes a small area. There are two small-diameter plugholes in the tray, however.

Strangely, there’s not a single hook or rail in here, although there are a couple of dinky lockers and some shelving. Knaus also fits a small window, always better for ventilation, as well as a porthole vent overhead.

I’d be happy enough with the two gas rings on offer here, although the glass lid offers the only protection from the elements when the sliding door is open.

There’s a separate brushed steel sink to the right of the hob, then a perspex-front illuminated cupboard to its right. The sink cover flips over to give you a nylon chopping board, while a pull-up panel at the left of the kitchen offers a vital extra worktop.

You do get an excellent array of kitchen storage. A single door under the hob opens up to reveal four drawers. You can also access these from outside the BoxLife with the sliding door open.

There are three even larger drawers under the sink. More kitchen storage comes in the form of a single overhead locker (with a fixed divider) with open shelving underneath it.

There’s an electric-only Waeco compressor fridge with freezer and a generous 90-litre capacity. It’s set high, which means no awkward bending down. The fridge’s operation did prove a bit noisy, especially at night.

Underneath the fridge is a large cupboard that has a shelf. Or, thanks to a hanging rail, this could be your wardrobe, although hanging height isn’t particularly generous.

Storage elsewhere is good, particularly the huge cavern under the bed, especially when it’s tucked away and there really is room to hold items like bikes upright.

Space in the rear seat base is taken by the Truma Combi unit, and the fresh water tank is housed along the rear offside. But there’s a handy drawer under the lounge floor, and a slim locker just inside the sliding door.

This is an abridged version of the full review running  in the September 2015 issue of Which Motorhome.